[SixOfSpades]

I can't believe the thread went for so long before somebody mentioned Bastard Swords.

A pure Kensai will eventually have a total of 17 weapon proficiencies. That's enough to Grandmaster in 3 separate weapons and have 2 stars left over to put into Two-Handed Weapon or Dual-Wielding. The 3rd star in Dual-Wielding is unnecessary: Its only benefit is a -2 to THAC0 on your offhand, and who cares about your offhand, and since you're a Kensai you're going to make the hit anyway. So, we can choose 3 weapons for favored ass-kicking.

DUAL-WIELDING KENSAI WEAPONS:

• Katana: Of prime interest here due to their insanely high damage: 1D10, the same as a Two-Handed Sword. Factor in the Kai ability to do maximum damage with every hit, and you're talking some serious pain. The problem can be their availability: If you've got Tactics installed, you're going to be unable to hit +3 creatures until your party is strong enough to go get CFury. And then, of course, you've got to deal with toting an overpowered weapon around for the entire rest of the game.
• Warhammer: A solid investment (particularly if you can take down Improved Ilyich)--there's a free Hammer+1 almost at the very beginning of Chapter 2, and then with weapons like Ashideena and Borok's Fist, you're set to go. Your only problems will be +3 creatures, but the Giantkin Hammer will hit those with no problems. And then once Crom Faeyr clicks into place, we are talking mega damage indeed, with added incentive for those who didn't roll high on Strength. Dwarven Kensai may also take advantage of the Dwarven Thrower, a very powerful weapon.
• Flail: Weak in the earliest stages--the first good Flail/Morningstar you can get is the Wyvern's Tail (unless you count the Sleeper), and that's a tough battle early on. But then, of course, there's the shining light of the FoA at the end of the tunnel, the only weapon that truly keeps on getting better & better. And let's not neglect the fine Defender of Easthaven.
• Longsword: Again, weak in the first few chapters. Daystar, Adjatha, Namarra, Blade of Roses and the like are all right, but really the only one that's much good for hitting things with is Daystar, and that's only +2. But once you hit Chapter 6, you can get the Equalizer (actually a quite good offhand weapon--its extra damage is applied to the main hand as well) and those with Item Upgrade can boost the Daystar into an actual good combat weapon. Then there's Blackrazor to be considered, but the shining glories come in ToB, with Angurvadal (the Crom Faeyr of edged weapons) and the Answerer. The Kensai is the perfect class to use the Answerer, as its Speed Factor penalty is neutralized by the Kensai's SF bonuses.
• Bastard Sword: Blighted by a total lack of tools worth mentioning (Oh, it's +3 against Shapeshifters, whoop de doo) in the earlier chapters, the only Bastard Swords in SoA worth using come in Chapter 5. But hold that thought, because ToB brings us Foebane. Yessir, since you've got a high ApR and a subterranean THAC0, why not just equip the weapon that's going to give you infinite hitpoints, and do one hell of a lot of damage to your enemies in the process?
• Axe: A wonderful weapon category throughout all of BG2: Stonefire is dirt cheap, Frostreaver is there for the taking, and they're more than good enough to last you to the Axe of Unyielding. And the only thing wrong with the AoU is deciding which hand to equip it in. Be wary of taking this proficiency with Korgan in the party, though, as it might mean sharing.
• Scimitar/Wakizashi/Ninja-to: The only one worth mentioning is Belm, of course, for the extra attack, but that alone makes it highly desirable. Easily obtainable and never becomes obsolete.
• Short Sword: Kundane, for the same reason as Belm, but is more difficult to get and does less damage. There is something to be said, however, for using the upgraded Short Sword of Mask to bring Level 12+ enemies within Greater Deathblow range.
• Mace: Not a very exciting choice, the only thing flashy about this weapon is the Mace of Disruption and its "strikes as +3" and "strikes as +5" enchantments....and it's a long wait before you can cut loose with the Storm Star.
• Club: You use Clubs? Bleh. Well, with Item Upgrade, Pitchwife is good, and Fulcrum is also quite nice, but I wouldn't give it to anyone who didn't already have at least Mastery in Clubs anyway--too cheesy.
• Dagger: The only reason Kensai put points in Dagger is to abuse the fact that the Boomerang Dagger and Firetooth deal twice as much damage as is legal.

I'm sick of this post, I'll let somebody else handle all the cool 2-handed Kensai weapons. [img]smile.gif[/img]